The Commissioner of Social Security, Andrew Saul, recently announced four additions to the Compassionate Allowances list: CDLK5 Deficiency Disorder, Pitt-Hopkins Syndrome, Primary Peritoneal Cancer, and Richter Syndrome. These conditions have a severe impact on people’s lives and adding them to the Compassionate Allowances list can make it easier for them to receive disability benefits, by cutting out some of the bureaucracy that might get in the way.
Normally, when someone applies for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits, they need to go to a local Social Security Administration office or State agency to have their claim evaluated. This includes both an evaluation by a medical professional about the nature and extent of your condition, and a determination of how severely your disability has impacted your life. Only once it has been determined that your disability is severe enough that you are no longer able to work, that you will begin receiving benefits.
The Compassionate Allowances program is intended to identify certain severe diseases and medical conditions quickly, thus facilitating the process by which a person might receive SSDI or SSI benefits. Essentially, the conditions identified by the Compassionate Allowances program are so severe by their nature that a simple medical diagnosis is enough to receive SSDI or SSI benefits. This allows the process of authorizing benefits for people afflicted by these conditions to be fast-tracked, saving them the additional trouble of navigating the Social Security Administration’s bureaucracy.
If you or a loved one need assistance applying for Social Security Disability benefits, it is important that you seek the guidance of an experienced Social Security Disability benefits lawyer. The lawyers at Sullivan & Kehoe, LLP have over 50 years of combined experience between its attorneys and are available to you or your loved one in obtaining Social Security Disability or Supplemental Security Income benefits. To schedule a consultation with our New York Social Security Disability benefits lawyers, call (631) 823-7155.